Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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After Dark Films
It seems a bit odd to take on a movie review of Courtney Solomon's Getaway, as only in the loosest terms is Getaway actually a movie. We begin without questions — other than a vague and frustrating "What the hell is going on?" — and end without answers, watching Ethan Hawke drive his car into things (and people) for the hour and a half in between. We learn very little along the way, probed to engage in the mystery of the journey. But we don't, because there's no reason to.
There's not a single reason to wonder about any of the things that happen to Hawke's former racecar driver/reformed criminal — forced to carry out a series of felonious commands by a mysterious stranger who is holding his wife hostage — because there doesn't seem to be a single ounce of thought poured into him beyond what he see. We learn, via exposition delivered by him to gun-toting computer whiz Selena Gomez, that he "did some bad things" before meeting the love of his life and deciding to put that all behind him. Then, we stop learning. We stop thinking. We start crashing into police cars and Christmas trees and power plants.
Why is Selena Gomez along for the ride? Well, the beginnings of her involvement are defensible: Hawke is carrying out his slew of vehicular crimes in a stolen car. It's her car. And she's on a rampage to get it back. But unaware of what she's getting herself into, Gomez confronts an idling Hawke with a gun, is yanked into the automobile, and forced to sit shotgun while the rest of the driver's "assignments" are carried out. But her willingness to stick by Hawke after hearing his story is ludicrous. Their immediate bickering falls closer to catty sexual tension than it does to genuine derision and fear (you know, the sort of feelings you'd have for someone who held you up or forced you into accessorizing a buffet of life-threatening crimes).
After Dark Films
The "gradual" reversal of their relationship is treated like something we should root for. But with so little meat packed into either character, the interwoven scenes of Hawke and Gomez warming up to each other and becoming a team in the quest to save the former's wife serve more than anything else as a breather from all the grotesque, impatient, deliberately unappealing scenes of city wreckage.
And as far as consolidating the mystery, the film isn't interested in that either, as evidenced by its final moments. Instead of pressing focus on the answers to whatever questions we may have, the movie's ultimate reveal is so weak, unsubstantial, and entirely disconnected to the story entirely, that it seems almost offensive to whatever semblance of a film might exist here to go out on this note. Offensive to the idea of film and story in general, as a matter of fact. But Getaway isn't concerned with these notions. Not with story, character, logic, or humanity. It just wants to show us a bunch of car crashes and explosions. So you'd think it might have at least made those look a little better.
1/5
More Reviews:'The Hunt' Is Frustrating and Fantastic'You're Next' Amuses and Occasionally Scares'Short Term 12' Is Real and Miraculous
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David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas consists of six stories set in various periods between 1850 and a time far into Earth's post-apocalyptic future. Each segment lives on its own the previous first person account picked up and read by a character in its successor creating connective tissue between each moment in time. The various stories remain intact for Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's (The Matrix) film adaptation which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The massive change comes from the interweaving of the book's parts into one three-hour saga — a move that elevates the material and transforms Cloud Atlas in to a work of epic proportions.
Don't be turned off by the runtime — Cloud Atlas moves at lightning pace as it cuts back and forth between its various threads: an American notary sailing the Pacific; a budding musician tasked with transcribing the hummings of an accomplished 1930's composer; a '70s-era investigatory journalist who uncovers a nefarious plot tied to the local nuclear power plant; a book publisher in 2012 who goes on the run from gangsters only to be incarcerated in a nursing home; Sonmi~451 a clone in Neo Seoul who takes on the oppressive government that enslaves her; and a primitive human from the future who teams with one of the few remaining technologically-advanced Earthlings in order to survive. Dense but so was the unfamiliar world of The Matrix. Cloud Atlas has more moving parts than the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi flick but with additional ambition to boot. Every second is a sight to behold.
The members of the directing trio are known for their visual prowess but Cloud Atlas is a movie about juxtaposition. The art of editing is normally a seamless one — unless someone is really into the craft the cutting of a film is rarely a post-viewing talking point — but Cloud Atlas turns the editor into one of the cast members an obvious player who ties the film together with brilliant cross-cutting and overlapping dialogue. Timothy Cavendish the elderly publisher could be musing on his need to escape and the film will wander to the events of Sonmi~451 or the tortured music apprentice Robert Frobisher also feeling the impulse to run. The details of each world seep into one another but the real joy comes from watching each carefully selected scene fall into place. You never feel lost in Cloud Atlas even when Tykwer and the Wachowskis have infused three action sequences — a gritty car chase in the '70s a kinetic chase through Neo Seoul and a foot race through the forests of future millennia — into one extended set piece. This is a unified film with distinct parts echoing the themes of human interconnectivity.
The biggest treat is watching Cloud Atlas' ensemble tackle the diverse array of characters sprinkled into the stories. No film in recent memory has afforded a cast this type of opportunity yet another form of juxtaposition that wows. Within a few seconds Tom Hanks will go from near-neanderthal to British gangster to wily 19th century doctor. Halle Berry Hugh Grant Jim Sturgess Jim Broadbent Ben Whishaw Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon play the same game taking on roles of different sexes races and the like. (Weaving as an evil nurse returning to his Priscilla Queen of the Desert cross-dressing roots is mind-blowing.) The cast's dedication to inhabiting their roles on every level helps us quickly understand the worlds. We know it's Halle Berry behind the fair skinned wife of the lunatic composer but she's never playing Halle Berry. Even when the actors are playing variations on themselves they're glowing with the film's overall epic feel. Jim Broadbent's wickedly funny modern segment a Tykwer creation that packs a particularly German sense of humor is on a smaller scale than the rest of the film but the actor never dials it down. Every story character and scene in Cloud Atlas commits to a style. That diversity keeps the swirling maelstrom of a movie in check.
Cloud Atlas poses big questions without losing track of its human element the characters at the heart of each story. A slower moment or two may have helped the Wachowskis' and Tykwer's film to hit a powerful emotional chord but the finished product still proves mainstream movies can ask questions while laying over explosive action scenes. This year there won't be a bigger movie in terms of scope in terms of ideas and in terms of heart than Cloud Atlas.
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A decade-long gap between sequels could leave a franchise stale but in the case of Men in Black 3 it's the launch pad for an unexpectedly great blockbuster. The kooky antics of Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) don't stray far from their 1997 and 2002 adventures but without a bombardment of follow-ups to keep the series in mind the wonderfully weird sensibilities of Men in Black feel fresh Smith's natural charisma once again on full display. Barry Sonnenfeld returns for the threequel another space alien romp with a time travel twist — which turns out to be Pandora's Box for the director's deranged imagination.
As time passed in the real world so did it for the timeline in the world of Men in Black. Picking up ten years after MIB 2 J and K are continuing to protect the Earth from alien threats and enforce the law on those who live incognito. While dealing with their own personal issues — K is at his all-time crabbiest for seemingly no reason — the suited duo encounter an old enemy Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) a prickly assassin seeking revenge on K who blew his arm off back in the '60s. Their street fight is more of a warning; Boris' real plan is to head back in time to save his arm and kill off K. He's successful prompting J to take his own leap through the time-space continuum — and team up with a younger K (Josh Brolin) to put an end to Boris plans for world domination.
Men in Black 3 is the Will Smith show. Splitting his time between the brick personalities of Jones and Brolin's K Smith struts his stuff with all the fast-talking comedic style that made him a star in yesteryears. In present day he's still the laid back normal guy in a world of oddities — J raises an eyebrow as new head honcho O (Emma Thompson) delivers a eulogy in a screeching alien tongue but coming up with real world explanations for flying saucer crashes comes a little easier. But back in 1969 he's an even bigger fish out water. Surprisingly director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Etan Cohen dabble in the inherent issues that would spring up if a black gentlemen decked out in a slick suit paraded around New York in the late '60s. A star of Smith's caliber may stray away from that type of racy humor but the hook of Men in Black 3 is the actor's readiness for anything. He turns J's jokey anachronisms into genuine laughs and doesn't mind letting the special effect artists stretch him into an unrecognizable Twizzler for the movie's epic time jump sequence.
Unlike other summer blockbusters Men in Black 3 is light on the action Sonnenfeld utilizing his effects budget and dazzling creature work (by the legendary Rick Baker) to push the comedy forward. J's fight with an oversized extraterrestrial fish won't keep you on the edge of your seat but his slapstick escape and the marine animal's eventual demise are genuinely amusing. Sonnenfeld carries over the twisted sensibilities he displayed in small screen work like Pushing Daisies favoring bizarre banter and elaborating on the kookiness of the alien underworld than battle scenes. MIB3's chase scene is passable but the movie in its prime when Smith is sparring with Brolin and newcomer Michael Stuhlbarg who steals the show as a being capable of seeing the future. His twitchy character keeps Smith and the audience on their toes.
Men in Black 3 digs up nostalgia I wasn't aware I had. Smith's the golden boy of summer and even with modern ingenuity keeping it fresh — Sonnenfeld uses the mandatory 3D to full and fun effect — there's an element to the film that feels plucked from another era. The movie is economical and slight with plenty of lapses in logic that will provoke head scratching on the walk out of the theater but it's also perfectly executed. After ten years of cinematic neutralizing the folks behind Men in Black haven't forgotten what made the first movie work so well. After al these years Smith continues to make the goofy plot wild spectacle and crazed alien antics look good.
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In This Means War – a stylish action/rom-com hybrid from director McG – Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Chris Pine (Star Trek) star as CIA operatives whose close friendship is strained by the fires of romantic rivalry. Best pals FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are equally accomplished at the spy game but their fortunes diverge dramatically in the dating realm: FDR (so nicknamed for his obvious resemblance to our 32nd president) is a smooth-talking player with an endless string of conquests while Tuck is a straight-laced introvert whose love life has stalled since his divorce. Enter Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) a pretty plucky consumer-products evaluator who piques both their interests in separate unrelated encounters. Tuck meets her via an online-dating site FDR at a video-rental store. (That Lauren is tech-savvy enough to date online but still rents movies in video stores is either a testament to her fascinating mix of contradictions or more likely an example of lazy screenwriting.)
When Tuck and FDR realize they’re pursuing the same girl it sparks their respective competitive natures and they decide to make a friendly game of it. But what begins as a good-natured rivalry swiftly devolves into romantic bloodsport with both men using the vast array of espionage tools at their disposal – from digital surveillance to poison darts – to gain an edge in the battle for Lauren’s affections. If her constitutional rights happen to be violated repeatedly in the process then so be it.
Lauren for her part remains oblivious to the clandestine machinations of her dueling suitors and happily basks in the sudden attention from two gorgeous men. Herein we find the Reese Witherspoon Dilemma: While certainly desirable Lauren is far from the irresistible Helen of Troy type that would inspire the likes of Tuck and FDR to risk their friendship their careers and potential incarceration for. At several points in This Means War I found myself wondering if there were no other peppy blondes in Los Angeles (where the film is primarily set) for these men to pursue. Then again this is a film that wishes us to believe that Tom Hardy would have trouble finding a date so perhaps plausibility is not its strong point.
When Lauren needs advice she looks to her boozy foul-mouthed best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler). Essentially an extension of Handler’s talk-show persona – an acquired taste if there ever was one – Trish’s dialogue consists almost exclusively of filthy one-liners delivered in rapid-fire succession. Handler does have some choice lines – indeed they’re practically the centerpiece of This Means War’s ad campaign – but the film derives the bulk of its humor from the outrageous lengths Tuck and FDR go to sabotage each others’ efforts a raucous game of spy-versus-spy that carries the film long after Handler’s shtick has grown stale.
Business occasionally intrudes upon matters in the guise of Heinrich (Til Schweiger) a Teutonic arms dealer bent on revenge for the death of his brother. The subplot is largely an afterthought existing primarily as a means to provide third-act fireworks – and to allow McGenius an outlet for his ADD-inspired aesthetic proclivities. The film’s action scenes are edited in such a manic quick-cut fashion that they become almost laughably incoherent. In fairness to McG he does stage a rather marvelous sequence in the middle of the film in which Tuck and FDR surreptitiously skulk about Lauren's apartment unaware of each other's presence carefully avoiding detection by Lauren who grooves absentmindedly to Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It." The whole scene unfolds in one continuous take – or is at least craftily constructed to appear as such – captured by one very agile steadicam operator.
Whatever his flaws as a director McG is at least smart enough to know how much a witty script and appealing leads can compensate for a film’s structural and logical deficiencies. He proved as much with Charlie’s Angels a film that enjoys a permanent spot on many a critic’s Guilty Pleasures list and does so again with This Means War. The film coasts on the chemistry of its three co-stars and only runs into trouble when the time comes to resolve its romantic competition which by the end has driven its male protagonists to engage in all manner of underhanded and duplicitous activities. This Means War being a commercial film – and likely an expensive one at that – Witherspoon's heroine is mandated to make a choice and McG all but sidesteps the whole thorny matter of Tuck and FDR’s unwavering dishonesty not to mention their craven disregard for her privacy. (They regularly eavesdrop on her activities.) For all their obvious charms the truth is that neither deserves Lauren – or anything other than a lengthy jail sentence for that matter.
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The first and most important thing you should know about Paramount Pictures’ Thor is that it’s not a laughably corny comic book adaptation. Though you might find it hokey to hear a bunch of muscled heroes talk like British royalty while walking around the American Southwest in LARP garb director Kenneth Branagh has condensed vast Marvel mythology to make an accessible straightforward fantasy epic. Like most films of its ilk I’ve got some issues with its internal logic aesthetic and dialogue but the flaws didn’t keep me from having fun with this extra dimensional adventure.
Taking notes from fellow Avenger Iron Man the story begins with an enthralling event that takes place in a remote desert but quickly jumps back in time to tell the prologue which introduces the audience to the shining kingdom of Asgard and its various champions. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) son of Odin is heir to the throne but is an arrogant overeager and ill-tempered rogue whose aggressive antics threaten a shaky truce between his people and the frost giants of Jotunheim one of the universe’s many realms. Odin (played with aristocratic boldness by Anthony Hopkins) enraged by his son’s blatant disregard of his orders to forgo an assault on their enemies after they attempt to reclaim a powerful artifact banishes the boy to a life among the mortals of Earth leaving Asgard defenseless against the treachery of Loki his mischievous “other son” who’s always felt inferior to Thor. Powerless and confused the disgraced Prince finds unlikely allies in a trio of scientists (Natalie Portman Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) who help him reclaim his former glory and defend our world from total destruction.
Individually the make-up visual effects CGI production design and art direction are all wondrous to behold but when fused together to create larger-than-life set pieces and action sequences the collaborative result is often unharmonious. I’m not knocking the 3D presentation; unlike 2010’s genre counterpart Clash of the Titans the filmmakers had plenty of time to perfect the third dimension and there are only a few moments that make the decision to convert look like it was a bad one. It’s the unavoidable overload of visual trickery that’s to blame for the frost giants’ icy weaponized constructs and other hybrids of the production looking noticeably artificial. Though there’s some imagery to nitpick the same can’t be said of Thor’s thunderous sound design which is amped with enough wattage to power The Avengers’ headquarters for a century.
Chock full of nods to the comics the screenplay is both a strength and weakness for the film. The story is well sequenced giving the audience enough time between action scenes to grasp the characters motivations and the plot but there are tangential narrative threads that disrupt the focus of the film. Chief amongst them is the frost giants’ fore mentioned relic which is given lots of attention in the first act but has little effect on the outcome. In addition I felt that S.H.I.E.L.D. was nearly irrelevant this time around; other than introducing Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye the secret security faction just gets in the way of the movie’s momentum.
While most of the comedy crashes and burns there are a few laughs to be found in the film. Most come from star Hemsworth’s charismatic portrayal of the God of Thunder. He plays up the stranger-in-a-strange-land aspect of the story with his cavalier but charming attitude and by breaking all rules of diner etiquette in a particularly funny scene with the scientists whose respective roles as love interest (Portman) friendly father figure (Skarsgaard) and POV character (Dennings) are ripped right out of a screenwriters handbook.
Though he handles the humorous moments without a problem Hemsworth struggles with some of the more dramatic scenes in the movie; the result of over-acting and too much time spent on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Luckily he’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast that fills the void. Most impressive is Tom Hiddleston who gives a truly humanistic performance as the jealous Loki. His arc steeped in Shakespearean tragedy (like Thor’s) drums up genuine sympathy that one rarely has for a comic book movie villain.
My grievances with the technical aspects of the production aside Branagh has succeeded in further exploring the Marvel Universe with a film that works both as a standalone superhero flick and as the next chapter in the story of The Avengers. Thor is very much a comic book film and doesn’t hide from the reputation that its predecessors have given the sub-genre or the tropes that define it. Balanced pretty evenly between “serious” and “silly ” its scope is large enough to please fans well versed in the source material but its tone is light enough to make it a mainstream hit.

“A real movie.” That’s the phrase that one of my industry sources used to describe Eagle Eye (Dreamworks/Paramount), which debuts this Friday at 3,500 or so locations and on more than 4,500 screens. The movie reunites Hollywood’s hottest young star, Shia LaBeouf, with his director from the surprise hit Disturbia, DJ Caruso, and industry tracking is pointing toward a spectacular opening.
It is very hard to bet against LaBeouf, whose last 2 movies, Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, have grossed a combined $635M domestic and $1.5B worldwide. Prior to those sure-fire blockbusters came Disturbia, a nifty little Hitchcockian genre pic released last spring demonstrating the 22-year-old actor’s real appeal. He’s the classic everyman and, while some compared his performance to Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window, I agree with New York Daily News critic Elizabeth Weitzman, who wrote he is, “More John Cusack than Jimmy Stewart.”
Eagle Eye turns the Disturbia premise on its ear. In this yarn, LaBeouf isn’t “the watcher,” he’s “the watched.” According to tracking data, Under 25’s are buying into the surveillance paranoia suggested in trailers and TV ads. It feels very contemporary. Your BlackBerry can kill you--or at least tell “them” where you are at every moment. Technology is ubiquitous, and there is no escape. In reality, Caruso is really mining the great Alfred Hitchcock again. Think of a modern-day North by Northwest riff with LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan instead of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.
Director Caruso’s first mainstream box office success was Taking Lives, starring Angelina Jolie ($11.4M opening--$32.2M cume), but then he took a step back with the critical and commercial failure Two For the Money ($8.7M opening--$23M cume), starring Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino. He struck paydirt with Disturbia, which opened with $22.2M then showed real playability to the tune of $80.2M domestic, and now he has LaBeouf in tow again. Eagle Eye will almost certainly be the director’s all-time biggest opening with something in the $28M range.
Females 25 Plus are showing great interest in the Warner Bros. romantic tear-jerker Nights in Rodanthe at over 2,500 locations on Friday. This is the 3rd film together for Oscar nominees Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Their first pairing was 24 years ago in Francis Ford Coppola’s troubled The Cotton Club ($2.9M opening--$25.9M cume). 18 years later, they teamed up with much better results in Adrian Lyne’s Unfaithful, which represented a breakout performance for Lane.
Not only did the actress, married in real life to actor Josh Brolin from the forthcoming W., earn her first Oscar nomination for Unfaithful (who can forget the remarkable sequence on the subway ride after her first dalliance with Olivier Martinez?), she also became the benchmark for graceful aging in Hollywood. Lane remains among the most beautiful actresses in the business and, contrary to Meg Ryan currently starring in The Women, she “appears” to have avoided the “cosmetic enhancement trap.”
Unfaithful scored $14M on opening weekend and generated a nifty $52.7M in its US theatrical run. Countless more have seen it on DVD and cable, and it is fair to say that older women are excited about seeing Lane and Gere together again. Add the fact that Nights in Rodanthe is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, like the 2004 surprise hit The Notebook, and you have the makings of a good solid box office performance. The $10M-$13M range seems about right for Rodanthe, and I am calling for the high end of that range.
Last week’s winner Lakeview Terrace (Sony) will likely be #3 this weekend, down about 55% to $6.75M, while Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna (Disney) will battle the Coen brothers’ strong-holding Burn After Reading for 4th. St. Anna is the 3rd new wide release this week, but it will open at a decidedly limited 1,100 or so locations. Lee has never been a movie hit-maker, but he had been more “commercially tone deaf” than usual for well over a decade until 2006’s Inside Man ($28.9M opening--$88.5M cume).
Spike has never been “Mr. Warmth,” but he has made some critical press blunders in advance of the release of Miracle at St. Anna. Picking a fight with industry icon Clint Eastwood is not smart. Complaining that he is a victim of “West coast bias” in Oscar voting is a mistake. Hollywood is talking about his new James McBride-penned WWII saga for all the wrong reasons. It remains to be seen just how strong the critical reaction to Miracle at St. Anna will be, but early reviews are on the negative side (33% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as of Wednesday morning). Tracking is so-so and moviegoers have shown very little interest in war-themed films in the last couple of years, but the picture should be able to deliver $5,000-$5,500 per location for approximately $5.8M.
There are 3 more limited releases of note this week led by actor-turned-director Clark Gregg’s Choke (Fox Searchlight), based on Chuck Palahniuk’s bestselling novel. On about 400 screens, the edgy pic, starring Sam Rockwell and Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston, could grab $4,500-$5,000 per location for an opening weekend approaching $2M.
Meanwhile, The Lucky Ones (Lionsgate), a new movie from director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) opening on 400 or so screens, will play a bit softer than Choke. Iraq War veterans, played by Oscar winner Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) and Michael Pena (Crash), on a cross-country road trip dealing with a nation divided by a controversial war is a premise badly in need of excellent reviews to succeed, and the movie is running at only 36% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as of Wednesday morning. Still, a PTA of $2,000-$2,500 is possible for a weekend gross of something shy of $1M.
Finally, Crane Movie Company is attempting to roll out a new vehicle featuring Sean Faris, the star of Never Back Down. There isn't much traction for the almost-as-generically-titled rugby movie Forever Strong, and it seems that an estimated $350,000 is in the cards.
FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 26
1. NEW – Eagle Eye (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $28M
2. NEW – Nights in Rodanthe (Warner Bros) - $12.9M
3. Lakeview Terrace (Sony) - $6.75M
4. NEW – Miracle at St. Anna (Disney) - $5.8M
5. Burn After Reading (Focus) - $5.7M
6. Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (Lionsgate) - $3.8M
7. Righteous Kill (Overture) - $3.7M
8. My Best Friend's Girl (Lionsgate) - $3.5M
9. Igor (MGM) - $3.1M
10. The Women (Picturehouse) - $3M
*NEW - Choke (Fox Searchlight) - $2M
*NEW - The Lucky Ones (Lionsgate) - $900,000
*NEW – Forever Strong (Crane Movie Company) - $350,000
Go to our Box Office section for recent weekend movie analysis.

Fears about whether moviegoers were ready for a film involving nuclear terrorism proved ungrounded as The Sum of All Fears exploded with $31.2 million in ticket sales.
Hollywood's customary post-Memorial Day slide saw many films down 50 percent or more versus the Friday-Sunday portion of the four day holiday. Besides the post-holiday let down, films playing to adult males suffered Friday from televised NBA playoff games that drew high ratings.
The Los Angeles Lakers' Game 6 victory Friday night over the Sacramento Kings received a 13.5 overnight rating and a 24 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. That was 82 percent better than last year's comparable game when Philadelphia played Milwaukee in the Eastern finals. It was NBC's best postseason overnight rating, excluding the NBA Finals, since Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Portland. On the East Coast, New Jersey's series win Friday over Boston drew an 8.7 overnight rating and a 16 share.
L.A. and Sacramento play Game 7 today (Sunday), starting at 4:30 p.m., Pacific time and 7:30 p.m., East Coast, which is expected to cut into ticket sales for adult male appeal films.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones took a 57 percent drop to second place with $20.7 million. Spider-Man fell only 49 percent, placing third with $14.5 million. Between them, the twin blockbusters have grossed over $586 million.
Undercover Brother kicked off in fourth place to a lively $12.1 million. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron had the best legs of all, off just 40 percent in fifth place with $10.7 million.
Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more for the four days -- took in about $117 million, down a modest 3 percent from last year.
THE TOP TEN
Paramount's opening of its PG-13 rated thriller The Sum of All Fears captured first place with a nuclear powered ESTIMATED $31.2 million at 3,183 theaters ($9,802 per theater).
Sum's average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Newfeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
"It's the most successful opening of the films based on Tom Clancy books," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "It's on the high end of where we had hoped to be. It's a very successful opening and bodes well for the playability over the lifetime of the picture."
Clear and Present Danger opened to $20.35 million the weekend of Aug. 5-7, 1994. It went on to gross $122 million in domestic theaters. Patriot Games arrived to $18.5 million the weekend of June 5-7, 1992 and wound up grossing $83.3 million domestically. The Hunt For Red October was launched to $17.2 million the weekend of Mar. 2-4, 1990 and ended up doing $120.7 million domestically.
Given the much stronger opening for Fears, Lewellen noted, "So certainly we would expect this to be better (over the course of its) lifetime, as well. The playability of this is extraordinary, according to the exit polls that we did. 83 percent were (in the top two boxes) excellent and good. The audience was a little bit older. About two-thirds were over 25. The index (of how well they liked it) was an 83 versus a norm of 73. It was 50-50 male-female. And the definite recommend was very high at 71 percent versus a norm of 64 percent. The picture plays very well. We knew that from earlier screenings we had."
Asked about media concerns as to whether the public was ready to see a movie about nuclear terrorism, Lewellen replied, "I don't think that's the case, obviously. I think they were more (affected) by the basketball game than anything else. We definitely saw an impact on our Friday gross from the game. You could see it in the increase we realized yesterday (Saturday) over the Friday numbers. It was 33 percent better on Saturday than Friday and normally you won't get that kind of a jump on opening weekend."
Sunday's Game 7 between L.A. and Sacramento will also work against Fears. "That's something we've taken into consideration in our calculations here, too," Lewellen explained. "It won't help. The game is starting at 4:30 this afternoon (on the West Coast), so that's prime East Coast time and it will bite a little bit into prime time here. I'm sure there's a lot of interest there to see who New Jersey will be playing in the finals."
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones fell to second place in its third week with a still sizable ESTIMATED $20.68 million (-57%) at 3,161 theaters (theater count unchanged; $6,542 per theater). Its cume is approximately $232.1 million.
(NOTE: Today's percentage variations are versus the Friday-Sunday portion of the four day Memorial Day holiday weekend.)
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
"All the movies took some big hits this weekend," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning.
As to where Episode II is heading domestically, Snyder said that before making any predictions, "I'd like to see one more weekend coming off of a non-holiday, regular weekend to get a better idea of what the drops are going to be."
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Columbia's PG-13 sci-fi fantasy blockbuster Spider-Man continued to hang on strongly in third place in its fifth week with a very solid ESTIMATED $14.5 million (-49%) at 3,646 theaters (-230 theaters; $3,977 per theater). Its cume is approximately $354.0 million.
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
"It's the fastest film ever to $350 million -- in 31 days versus 40 for Phantom Menace," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "This week it should catch and pass Jurassic Park at $357 million, which is the number five picture of all time. It has a good shot (to do so) by Thursday."
Asked where Spidey is likely to climb to, Blake replied, "Well, certainly, we go past $400 million. It's just a question of how far past. I'd say we've got $400 million very much in our sights, but we'd love to start passing and get deeper into the Top Five (of all time). We need $431 million to catch Phantom Menace and I think E.T. with its latest release is about $435 million or so. Those are nice goals and we should come close, but that could go either way.
"It's a bit of a moving target, but I think $420-450 million seems pretty logical. There's only four films that have ever been better and two of those needed a couple of releases (to get there)."
Focusing on the strong post-Memorial Day weekend, Blake pointed out, "This week after Memorial Day used to be terrible (for business) and actually was pretty good last year. This year looks like about the same, maybe a notch off. I think it's unrealistic to think the week after Memorial Day, which traditionally has been a sort of quiet between storms (period), can get too high up the ladder. We pushed it up pretty high last year with some pretty impressive openings and great holdovers. I think everybody did a pretty good job this year at keeping it at that level."
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-13 rated urban appeal comedy Undercover Brother arrived in fourth place to an encouraging ESTIMATED $12.11 million at 2,168 theaters ($5,585 per theater).
Directed by Malcom D. Lee, it stars Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan and Denise Richards. Its producers are Brian Grazer, Michael Jenkinson and Damon Lee.
"We're very pleased, knowing that we're charting new territory not unlike the first Austin Powers," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "We know that the word of mouth is good. The reviews tell us that. This picture was exceptionally reviewed and, quite frankly, was the best reviewed film for the weekend. It's a picture that many more people will discover as it goes on.
Austin Powers built its franchise later on. The original Austin Powers opened to $9.5 million (the weekend of May 2-4, 1997 and went on to gross about $54 million in domestic theaters). That franchise was built later on by video and cable (success). We're hopeful that that's exactly what will happen (with Brother). I think there's a great combination of filmmaking talent mixed with the versatility of (producer) Brian Grazer and Malcolm Lee.
"And you cannot overlook when you have great word of mouth and when you know audiences are enjoying it. You should be able to have fun with anything and everything in a true comedy and this is a true comedy. Once you get into it, it's really a lot of fun."
Rocco pointed out that Saturday afternoon she had watch the film play with an audience. "It was (during) the last third of the film and they were just having a ball," she said. "They were hooting and howling. It was a matinee audience, which looked young to me. It looked like 13 and 14 year olds. That's why this picture is PG-13. We certainly did want to be able to entertain young kids.
"There's a lot that (the stars and filmmakers) bring to the table. It's that very funny satire feel to the film. We're very hopeful that it's going be discovered well and continue to play on. It is the first comedy of the summer and the reviews are an indication that it should play well."
Rocco did not have the full details of the studio's exit poll data when we spoke very early Sunday morning, but she said she'd been advised that, "They were very, very strong, particularly for young audiences. They were in the 90 percents for teens, which is wonderful. Overall ratings were solidly above average across all (demographic) quadrants and much higher amongst younger males."
DreamWorks' G rated animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron slipped one rung to fifth place in its second week, holding well with an ESTIMATED $10.7 million (-40%) at 3,362 theaters (+45 theaters; $3,190 per theater). Its cume is approximately $38.2 million.
Directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, it was produced by Mireille Soria and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Alcon Entertainment's R rated thriller Insomnia dropped three pegs to sixth place in its second week via Warner Bros. with a less wide awake ESTIMATED $9.76 million (-53%) at 2,610 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,739 per theater). Its cume is approximately $41.4 million.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, it stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.
"I think we all were impacted by the games on Friday. That's for sure," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "Everybody came back (on Saturday). We were up 62 percent over Friday. Today's going to be tough. Basketball hurts (films like Insomnia) that play to) males -- older males. So we were impacted by that."
Columbia's PG-13 rated thriller Enough dipped two rungs to seventh place in its second week with a quieter ESTIMATED $6.8 million (-51%) at 2,623 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,592 per theater). Its cume is approximately $27.1 million.
Directed by Michael Apted, it stars Jennifer Lopez.
"It's a $38 million negative and we should get into the mid-to-high $40 millions -- nice and profitable," Sony's Jeff Blake said.
Universal and Studio Canal's PG-13 rated romantic comedy drama About A Boy, from Tribeca and Working Title, fell two slots to eighth place in its third weekend with a calm ESTIMATED $4.08 million (-48%) at 1,755 theaters (+6 theaters; $2,325 per theater). Boy, which was made for only $27 million, has a cume of approximately $27.8 million.
Directed by Paul Weitz &amp; Chris Weitz, it stars Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Toni Collette.
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' R rated thriller Unfaithful slid two pegs to ninth place in its fourth weekend with an uneventful ESTIMATED $2.95 million (-52%) at 1,696 theaters (-705 theaters; $1,739 per theater). Its cume is approximately $45.7 million.
Directed by Adrian Lyne, it stars Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Columbia's release of Revolution Studios' PG-13 rated comedy The New Guy, down two slots in its fourth week with a dull ESTIMATED $1.5 million (-66%) at 1,676 theaters (-698 theaters; $895 per theater). Its cume is approximately $26.9 million.
Directed by Ed Decter, it stars D.J. Qualls.
"A $13 million picture that gets its nose over $30 million is pretty good," Sony's Jeff Blake observed, noting that Guy will be nicely profitable.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend saw the arrival of no other major openings.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance Of Being Earnest widened in its second week with a hopeful ESTIMATED $0.82 million at 147 theaters (+109 theaters; $5,544 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.5 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
United Artists' R rated drama CQ, released through MGM Distribution Co., expanded quietly in its second week with an ESTIMATED $58,000 at 19 theaters ($3,028 per theater). Its cume is approximately $129,000.
Written and directed by Roman Coppola, it stars Jeremy Davies and Angela Lindvall.
INTERNATIONAL
Universal's international division reported Sunday that 40 Days and 40 Nights opened in first place in Germany this weekend ahead of Star Wars: Episode II in its third week. 40 Days grossed $2.8 million in its first three days.
In Austria 40 Days finished first with a 53 percent share of the market. It's $262,000 gross from 56 playdates was 115 percent bigger than the second ranking film, Star Wars: Episode II.
In the U.K., 40 Days opened Friday to $1.1 million, ranking second to Star Wars: Episode II's third week and 37 percent ahead of Time Machine, which opened in third place.
Charlotte Gray opened well Australia on Thursday, placing second to the third week of Star Wars: Episode II with $395,000 from 160 playdates in two days.
About a Boy was fourth in its sixth week in the U.K. Its 37-day cume is $21.1 million, passing Ice Age to rank as the fourth highest grossing film in the U.K. this year (behind Monsters, Inc., Ocean's 11 and Star Wars: Episode II).
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $117.11 million, down 3.23 percent from last year when they totaled $121.02 million.
Key films for this four day holiday weekend cannot be compared to the previous weekend of this year, which was a four day holiday weekend.
Last year, Buena Vista/Touchstone's second week of Pearl Harbor was first with $29.56 million at 3,214 theaters ($9,197 per theater); and DreamWorks' third week of Shrek was second with $28.17 million at 3,661 theaters ($7,695 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $57.8 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $51.9 million.

Driven by Star Wars and Spider-Man, Memorial Day weekend ticket sales are heading for a red-hot, record-setting four-day gross of $200 million or more.
At the holiday weekend's mid-point, insiders were confident this will be Hollywood's biggest Memorial Day ever. Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones will take top honors again with $61 million or more (for four days as are all of today's estimates). Some industry projections Sunday morning had Clones doing as much as $63-64 million.
Spider-Man will be a very powerful number two again with about $38.5 million.
When the Memorial Day weekend box office dust settles Clones' cume will be over $202 million and Spidey's cume will be over $336 million.
Insomnia will awaken loudly in third place with over $26 million. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron will sprint nicely into fourth place with over $23 million. And Enough will do well enough to round out the Top Five with about $19 million.
Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more for the four days -- are expected to crack $200 million, an increase of about 12 percent over last year's then record setting Memorial Day total of $178.5 million.
THE TOP TEN
(NOTE: Today's estimates are for the four-day Memorial Day weekend from Friday through Monday. Percentage variations are versus the previous weekend plus last week's non-holiday Monday. Estimates are also indicated parenthetically for the three-day period Friday through Sunday.)
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones continued to orbit in first place in its second week with an outstanding ESTIMATED $61.0 million (-33%) at 3,161 theaters (theater count unchanged; $19,298 per theater). Its cume is approximately $202.3 million. (Fox estimated its three-day gross at $48.85 million, which would give it a cume through Sunday of $190.16 million.)
Some insiders were estimating Clones' four day total to be in the $63-64 million range, which would require its three day number to be higher than the $48.85 million Fox was estimating Sunday. Monday's updated estimates could bring a higher four-day projection from Fox based on Clones' Sunday ticket sales.
Star Wars' average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Columbia's PG-13 sci-fi fantasy blockbuster Spider-Man was still showing powerful legs, holding on to second place in its fourth week with an enviable ESTIMATED $38.5 million (-22%) at 3,876 theaters (+261 theaters; $9,933 per theater). Its cume is approximately $336.3 million, heading for at least $400 million and quite possibly as much as $450 million in domestic theaters. (Sony estimated its three-day gross at $30.5 million, which would give it a cume through Sunday of $328.3 million.)
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
"3,876 is the highest print count ever. 3,750 (prints) for Shrek was the previous high that was (reached) during the course of their run," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning, noting that Spidey's 261 print increase reflected the fact that "more theaters are demanding Spider-Man."
Looking at the latest records set by Spider-Man, Blake noted, "It was the fastest to $300 million. We hit it Friday on day 22. The previous fastest to $300 million was Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace in 28 days. By Monday we will be at $336.3 million, which will make us the sixth biggest picture of all time, passing Forrest Gump, which did $329.7 million. We're one step away from the Top Five where Jurassic Park has $357 million. And it's the biggest fourth weekend gross ever for three or four days. We've broken a record in each of our first four weeks."
Alcon Entertainment's R rated thriller Insomnia arrived in third place via Warner Bros. to an eye-opening ESTIMATED $26.2 million at 2,610 theaters ($10,038 per theater). (Warners estimated its three-day gross at $21.04 million.)
Directed by Christopher Nolan, it stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.
"It's the largest Memorial Day weekend in Warner Bros. history," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "We have never opened up a movie (to bigger business over) Memorial Day weekend. Also, it's the largest opening in Al Pacino's career. Dick Tracy did $22 million and The Godfathers didn't open that wide and (they were) many, many years ago. This ties Robin Williams' biggest opening, which was Flubber (which opened Nov. 26, 1997 to $26.7 million)."
Focusing on the film's strong opening, Fellman said, "Insomnia is an Alcon production, distributed by Warner Bros., and financed by Fred Smith of Fed Ex. The success of our opening confirms the opportunity for counter-programming adult themed films during the competitive summer season."
Along those lines, Warners has another example of counter-programming coming with its June 7 launch of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. "That is more female obviously and this (Insomnia) is male," Fellman explained. "And then we're going to hit 'em on the nose with Scooby-Doo (a live action and animation family film opening June 14 based on the long running TV cartoon series. We're looking for a good solid summer here."
As for the strong start the summer is off to, Fellman said, "I've got a four day number of almost $200 million. It's off to a great start. The box office is running about 22 percent ahead of last year and I think we'll continue this record pace through the summer and well into the fall and Christmas. We'll have another huge year at the box office.
"Admissions are up right now by about 12 percent and I think they'll continue to grow. I think the movie business is very healthy. Exhibition has emerged from their downward spiral (and is now) healthy and flush from all these big successes."
Could this be a $10 billion year at the domestic theatrical box office? "It certainly could be," Fellman replied. "I think so. We've got a couple of other strong contenders (besides Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opening Nov. 15). We've got the sequel to Analyze This (which again stars Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal and is called) Analyze That (opening Dec. 6. We also have a really funny -- I've seen some of it -- wonderful romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant (Castle Rock Entertainment's Two Weeks Notice, opening Dec. 20), which kind of reminds me of When Harry Met Sally. It's a very well made fun movie."
DreamWorks' G rated animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron opened in fourth place to a fast paced ESTIMATED $23.3 million at 3,317 theaters ($7,024 per theater). (DreamWorks estimated its three-day gross at $17.8 million.)
Directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, it was produced by Mireille Soria and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
"We're very happy and pleased with the (three-day total of) $17.8 million," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "Going into the weekend, many people (predicting the box office) had us doing about $18 million for the four days.
"I think as schools let out across the country, more of our audience becomes available and it looks good for the long term of the movie."
Weather patterns across the country over the rest of the holiday weekend will also play a part in how Spirit winds up performing. "If it rains like we think it will in a big part of the Eastern part of the country, our number could actually go up a little," he explained.
Looking at the very strong early summer box office, Tharp noted, "The industry is up 15 or 16 percent already. You have to think that this summer based on the number of high profile movies and (just) the number of movies should be up that much over last year if not more."
Last summer saw ticket sales from Memorial Day through Labor Day of about $3 billion. Including the pre-summer weeks starting in mid-May brought the total to about $3.3 billion. A 15 percent increase this summer would mean a pre-summer and summer total of about $3.8 billion.
Hollywood has on tap this summer, Tharp said, "movies that will appeal to a wide variety of people. That's how you actually increase attendance."
And looking down the road, he added, "It could literally be a $10 billion year. I think it's a real possibility." Last year Hollywood set a record with box office grosses hitting $8.4 billion. Tharp pointed out that in the coming months this year will continue to be "very crowded and there's a wide spectrum of movies from late September through the Holiday season." A number of major franchise films are due to arrive in the fourth quarter, including the next installments of James Bond, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Columbia's PG-13 rated thriller Enough kicked off in fifth place to a solid ESTIMATED $19.0 million at 2,623 theaters ($7,244 per theater). (Sony estimated its three-day gross at $15.0 million.)
Directed by Michael Apted, it stars Jennifer Lopez.
"It's very much in the range of Jennifer Lopez's other successful films, which include Anaconda, which opened April 11, 1997 to $16.6 million and did $65.5 million (in domestic theaters), The Cell, which opened Aug. 18, 2000 to $17.5 million and did $61.2 million and The Wedding Planner, which opened Jan. 26, 2001 to $13.5 million and did $60.4 million," Sony's Jeff Blake said.
"Clearly, this is a solid opening. It's a $40 million negative picture and if we can get to the range of these other films (starring Lopez) we'll be in great shape."
Universal and Studio Canal's PG-13 rated romantic comedy drama About a Boy, from Tribeca and Working Title, fell two slots to sixth place in its second weekend with an okay ESTIMATED $10.07 million (+5%) at 1,749 theaters (+542 theaters; $5,755 per theater). Boy, which was made for only $27 million, has a cume of approximately $22.0 million. (Insiders estimated its three-day gross at $7.6 million.)
Directed by Paul Weitz &amp; Chris Weitz, it stars Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Toni Collette.
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' R rated thriller Unfaithful slid four pegs to seventh place in its third weekend with a less sexy ESTIMATED $7.8 million (-28%) at 2,401 theaters (-223 theaters; $3,255 per theater). Its cume is approximately $41.3 million. (Fox estimated its three-day gross at $6.23 million.)
Directed by Adrian Lyne, it stars Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez.
Columbia's release of Revolution Studios' PG-13 rated low budget comedy The New Guy fell three slots to eighth place in its third week with a calm ESTIMATED $5.7 million (-18%) at 2,374 theaters (-313 theaters; $2,401 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.7 million. (Sony estimated its three-day gross at $4.5 million.)
Directed by Ed Decter, it stars D.J. Qualls.
"It's a $13 million negative that looks like it's going to go north of $30 million (in domestic theaters) so it will be a very solid profitable picture for us," Sony's Jeff Blake said.
Paramount's R rated road rage drama Changing Lanes dropped three rungs to ninth place in its seventh week with a slower ESTIMATED $2.0 million (-40%) at 1,258 theaters (-900 theaters; $1,610 per theater). Its cume is approximately $64.6 million. (Insiders estimated its three-day gross at $1.6 million.)
Directed by Roger Michell, it stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Universal's PG-13 rated adventure spinoff The Scorpion King in association with World Wrestling Federation Entertainment and Alphaville, down three pegs in its sixth week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $1.8 million (-42%) at 1,527 theaters (-1,028 theaters; $1,205 per theater). Its cume is approximately $87.9 million, heading for $95 million or more in domestic theaters. (Insiders estimated its three-day gross at $1.2 million.)
Directed by Chuck Russell, it stars The Rock.
MEMORIAL DAY OVERVIEW -- 1982 - 2001
Looking back at Memorial Day weekends over the past two decades, it's clear that the holiday's importance to Hollywood has grown enormously.
Memorial Day began looking like a potentially big holiday in 1982 when MGM/UA's Rocky III starring Sylvester Stallone delivered a $16 million knockout punch for four days at 939 theaters ($17,055 per theater). Hollywood hadn't quite yet realized how a Wednesday opening could extend a holiday weekend's impact, so Rocky III entered the ring on a Friday (May 28).
Rocky III ran rings around everything else playing that weekend: 20th Century Fox's suspense thriller Visiting Hours ($5.3 million), Universal's action drama Conan the Barbarian ($5.2 million), Universal's comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid ($4.6 million) and Fox's youth appeal comedy Porky's ($4.5 million). Key films - those grossing at least $500,000 for the four days from May 28-31 - took in $49.9 million.
Only one year later in 1983, Memorial Day box office history was being rewritten with Fox's launch of George Lucas' third Star Wars film Return of the Jedi. This time, the action got underway on Wednesday as Jedi blasted off to $30.5 million for four days (May 27-30) and $41.1 million for six days at 1,002 theaters.
Everything else playing was in a much lower orbit: Columbia's action drama Blue Thunder ($6.2 million), Paramount's romantic dance drama Flashdance ($4.7 million), Columbia's sci-fi epic Spacehunter ($4.6 million) and Orion's drama Breathless ($2.8 million). Key films grossed $61.4 million.
Jedi's Memorial Day record only lasted until 1984, one year later, when Paramount's adventure Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg kicked off on a Wednesday to $33.9 million four days (May 25-28) and $42.3 million for six days at 1,687 theaters.
Nothing else came close: TriStar's drama The Natural ($6.9 million), Cannon and MGM/UA's dance film Breakin' ($4.1 million), Fox's adventure drama Romancing the Stone ($4.1 million) and Universal's youth appeal comedy 16 Candles ($2.9 million). Key films took in $67.3 million.
Memorial Day 1985 wasn't nearly as strong as it had been in '84. TriStar's adventure sequel Rambo: First Blood 2 starring Sylvester Stallone finished first with $25.5 million. With 2,074 theaters, it was the widest release Memorial Day had ever seen to that point.
By 1985 Hollywood was beginning to see the value of being in the Memorial Day marketplace. Unlike past years when only one big new film had opened for the long weekend, 1985 brought a Friday opening for MGM/UA's James Bond adventure A View To A Kill ($13.3 million) and a Wednesday launch for Universal's comedy Brewster's Millions ($9.6 million for four days and $11.5 million for six days). Rounding out the top five were Paramount's long running Beverly Hills Cop ($2.9 million) and Warner Bros.' comedy Police Academy 2 ($1.5 million). Key films grossed $63.6 million from May 24-27.
Memorial Day 1986 saw a big downturn in holiday ticket sales. Cannon/Warner Bros.' opening of the action adventure Cobra starring Sylvester Stallone was first with an unexciting $15.7 million at 2,131 theaters for four days.
MGM/UA's opening of its horror sequel Poltergeist II was a strong second with $12.4 million at 1,596 theaters. Others in the top five were: Paramount's Top Gun starring Tom Cruise, which had opened a week earlier ($9.4 million), TriStar's comedy Short Circuit ($5.5 million) and Universal's comedy Sweet Liberty ($3.1 million). Key films took in $51.9 million from May 23-26.
Memorial Day ticket sales snapped back to life in 1987 with Paramount's opening of Beverly Hills Cop II starring Eddie Murphy ($33.0 million for four days and $40.6 million for six days) at 2,326 theaters.
Second place went to Buena Vista's launch of Ernest Goes to Camp ($6.2 million). Others in the top five: Universal's comedy The Secret of My Success ($3.7 million), Columbia's failed comedy Ishtar ($3.4 million) and New Century's horror film The Gate ($2.9 million). Key films took in $62.2 million from May 22-25.
Memorial Day 1988 took a step backwards with Paramount's opening of Crocodile Dundee II starring Paul Hogan ($24.5 million for four days and $29.2 million for six days) at 2,837 theaters. By 1988, studios were going much wider than ever before.
TriStar's launch of Rambo III starring Sylvester Stallone was second with $16.7 million at 2,562 theaters ($21.2 million for six days). Also playing: MGM/UA's George Lucas drama Willow ($7.6 million), Orion's drama Colors ($2.4 million) and Warners' Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice ($2.0 million). Key films grossed $63.1 million from May 27-30.
Memorial Day saw big time success again in 1989 with Paramount's opening of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade from Lucas/Spielberg with $37.0 million for four days and $46.9 million for six days at 2,327 theaters.
Nothing else stood a chance: TriStar's thriller See No Evil, Hear No Evil ($6.1 million), Universal's drama Field of Dreams ($5.7 million), UA's youth comedy Road House ($5.0 million) and Warners' opening of the drama Pink Cadillac starring Clint Eastwood ($4.4 million for four days). Key films mustered $69.5 million from May 26-29.
Memorial Day 1990 brought a downturn with Universal's opening of Back to the Future Part III with $23.7 million for four days at 2,019 theaters.
Universal also occupied second place with Bird on a Wire starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn ($12.8 million), which had opened one week earlier.
Others in the top five: Buena Vista's blockbuster Pretty Woman ($8.2 million), Orion's comedy drama Cadillac Man starring Robin Williams ($6.5 million) and Buena Vista's opening of its action drama Fire Birds starring Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones ($6.4 million for four days). Key films took in $69.8 million from May 25-28.
Memorial Day continued to drop in 1991 with Universal's opening of Ron Howard's drama Backdraft with $15.7 million for four days at 1,852 theaters. Second place went to Buena Vista's comedy What About Bob ($11.2 million) and TriStar's opening of the drama Hudson Hawk starring Bruce Willis was third ($7.1 million for four days at 2,071 theaters).
Rounding out the top five: MGM's opening of the now classic drama Thelma &amp; Louise starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis ($6.1 million for four days at 1,179 theaters) and Fox's opening of its drama Only the Lonely ($6.0 million at 1,179 theaters for four days). Key films totaled $69.6 million from May 24-27.
Success was in the air again with Memorial Day 1992 as Warners took first place with Lethal Weapon 3 starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover ($27.6 million at 2,510 theaters). Having opened a week earlier, its 11 day cume was $70.5 million.
Fox's opening of Alien 3 starring Sigourney Weaver was second with $23.1 million for four days at 2,227 theaters. Third place went to Universal's opening of Ron Howard's drama Far and Away starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman ($12.9 million for four days at 1,583 theaters).
Rounding out the top five: Buena Vista's opening of the comedy Encino Man starring Brendan Fraser ($9.9 million for four days at 2,050 theaters); and TriStar's blockbuster thriller Basic Instinct starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone ($3.2 million). Key films accounted for $93.5 million from May 22-25, marking the first time the Memorial Day marketplace expanded within reach of $100 million.
Memorial Day 1993 brought yet another TriStar action adventure opening starring Sylvester Stallone - Cliffhanger with $20.5 million for four days at 2,333 theaters. Second place went to Warners' opening of the comedy Made in America starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson ($11.8 million for four days at 2,048 theaters).
Warners' comedy Dave was third ($8.9 million), followed by Buena Vista's opening of the youth appeal drama Super Mario Bros. ($8.5 million for four days at 2,081 theaters) and Fox's comedy sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux ($8.2 million). Key films retreated to $88.1 million from May 28-31.
Memorial Day ticket sales were on the rise again in 1994 with Universal's launch of its comedy The Flintstones with $37.2 million for four days at 2,498 theaters. Warners' second weekend of Maverick starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner was second ($18.6 million. Paramount's opening of Beverly Hills Cop III starring Eddie Murphy was third with $15.3 million for four days and $18.8 million for six days at 2,748 theaters.
Also in the top five: Buena Vista's drama When a Man Loves a Woman ($7.0 million) and Miramax's suspense thriller The Crow ($6.6 million). Key films were once again pushing $100 million -- with $95.2 million from May 27-30.
The marketplace expanded over Memorial Day 1995 although there wasn't as much action in first place. Universal's dramatic comedy Casper opened atop the chart with $22.1 million for four days at 2,714 theaters. Fox's second weekend of Die Hard with a Vengeance starring Bruce Willis was second with $19.0 million. Paramount's opening of Braveheart starring Mel Gibson took third place with $12.9 million for four days and $15.6 million for six days at 2,035 theaters.
Rounding out the top five: Buena Vista's drama Crimson Tide ($12.8 million) and Sony's comedy drama Forget Paris starring Billy Crystal and Debra Winger ($7.7 million). Key films cracked $100 million for the first time with $112.0 million for May 26-29.
Memorial Day 1996 really brought the holiday weekend into its own as Paramount launched Mission: Impossible to $56.8 million for four days and $74.9 million for six days (including Tuesday night previews) at 3,012 theaters. It was the widest release ever for a Memorial Day opening.
Warners' disaster drama Twister was a solid second with $38.0 million in its third weekend. Buena Vista's comedy Spy Hard opened in third place with $10.4 million for four days. Universal's family film Flipper was fourth with $5.4 million. Fifth place went to Fox's drama The Truth About Cats and Dogs ($2.7 million). Key films collected $124.99 million from May 24-27.
What was big in '96 looked smaller a year later as Memorial Day 1997 saw Universal's opening of Steven Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park to $92.7 million at 3,281 theaters for four days (including its Thursday night previews).
Warners' opening of the drama Addicted to Love was a distant second with $11.4 million for four days at 2,007 theaters. Sony's sci-fi drama The Fifth Element was third ($8.0 million), followed by New Line's comedy Austin Powers ($5.6 million) and Paramount's drama Breakdown ($5.4 million). Key films did a hefty $142.9 million from May 23-26.
Memorial Day 1998 saw the marketplace contract again as Sony's Godzilla opened in first place with $55.7 million for four days and $74.3 million for six days at 3,310 theaters. Paramount's sci-fi disaster drama Deep Impact was second with $19.4 million in its third weekend.
Buena Vista's drama The Horse Whisperer starring Robert Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas was third with $14.5 million in its second weekend. Also in the top five: Fox's satire Bullworth starring Warren Beatty ($10.5 million) and Warners' animated feature Quest for Camelot ($6.3 million). Key films grossed $128.97 million from May 22-25.
Memorial Day 1999 was topped by Fox's Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace from George Lucas with $66.9 million for four days at 3,023 theaters, bringing its cume to $207.1 million for 13 days.
Second place went to Universal's opening of its romantic comedy drama Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant ($27.7 million for four days at 2,747 theaters). Universal also took third place with The Mummy ($12.9 million). Rounding out the top five: Fox's romantic thriller Entrapment ($7.2 million) and Sony's opening of its sci-fi thriller The Thirteenth Floor ($4.3 million for four days at 1,815 theaters). Key films took in $136.1 million from May 28-31.
Memorial Day 2000 saw even bigger business than the previous year as Paramount's Mission: Impossible 2 opened to $70.8 million for four days at 3,653 theaters and a six day cume of $91.8 million.
Second place went to Buena Vista/Disney's first wide weekend for its animated feature Dinosaur ($32.0 million at 3,302 theaters). Buena Vista also took third place with Touchstone's action drama Shanghai Noon starring Jackie Chan ($19.6 million). Rounding out the top five: DreamWorks' epic Gladiator ($17.1 million) and DreamWorks' youth appeal comedy Road Trip ($13.5 million for four days at 1,815 theaters). Key films took in a record setting Memorial weekend total of $175.9 million from May 26-29.
Memorial Day 2001 went into the history books as the holiday weekend's biggest ever at the time, led by Buena Vista/ Touchstone's launch of Pearl Harbor with $75.2 million for four days at 3,214 theaters.
Second place went to DreamWorks' second weekend of its animated feature Shrek ($55.2 million at 3,623 theaters). Universal finished third with its action adventure The Mummy Returns starring Brendan Fraser ($19.0 million). Rounding out the top five: Columbia's epic A Knight's Tale ($9.1 million) and Franchise Films and Warner Bros.' drama Angel Eyes ($6.2 million). Key films took in a record setting Memorial weekend total of $178.5 million from May 25-28.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance of Being Earnest to an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.53 million at 38 theaters ($13,809 per theater). (Miramax estimated its three-day gross at $0.37 million.)
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
United Artists' R rated drama CQ, released through MGM Distribution Co., arrived to a hopeful ESTIMATED $51,000 at 7 theaters in New York and Los Angeles ($7,286 per theater). (MGM estimated its three-day gross at $40,000.)
Written and directed by Roman Coppola, it stars Jeremy Davies and Angela Lindvall.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
This weekend saw no national sneak previews.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend there was no significant activity to report.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films--those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $200.16 million for the four-day holiday
weekend, up about 12.13 percent from last year when they totaled $178.48 million for four days.
Key films for this four-day holiday weekend cannot be compared to the previous weekend of this year, which was a normal three-day weekend.
Last year, Buena Vista/Touchstone's opening week of Pearl Harbor was first with $75.18 million for four days at 3,214 theaters ($23,391 per theater); and DreamWorks' second week of Shrek was second with $55.22 million for four days at 3,623 theaters ($15,240 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $130.4 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $99.5 million.

A stellar blastoff for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones captured first place with a forceful four day cume of $116.3 million.
Despite Episode II's blockbuster arrival, Spider-Man showed incredibly strong legs. Its 36 percent drop to second place with $46 million set a new third weekend record. With its cume now at $286.5 million, Spidey is heading for $400 million or more in domestic theaters.
Unfaithful seduced moviegoers into third place with an arousing $10.3 million. About a Boy opened fourth to an encouraging $8.4 million. The New Guy finished fifth, holding well with $6.5 million.
Driven by Star Wars and Spider-Man, key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- did over $171 million, up 78 percent from last year's $96.2 million. This was the third consecutive pre-summer weekend in which key films did wildly better than one year earlier. Last weekend they soared 63 percent over last year. For the weekend of May 3-5 they were up 50 percent.
THE TOP TEN
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones exploded in first place with an ESTIMATED $86.15 million at 3,161 theaters ($27,254 per theater).
After opening to $30,141,417 for Wednesday midnight screenings and Thursday, its four day cume is approximately $116.29 million. By comparison, Spider-Man's record setting opening was $114.8 million for a normal three day weekend (May 3-5).
Star Wars' average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
"That's the third best three day regular weekend opening ever after Spider-Man's $114 million and $90 million for Harry Potter," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning.
"It's the second fastest to $100 million. Of course, Spider-Man did it in three days and this is four. The previous record was Star Wars: Episode I in five days. It opened on a Wednesday (May 19, 1999). Its five day number was $105.659 million. So we've kind of blown past that in four days with $116.291 million on this one. It's just terrific and we're delighted."
Looking back at Episode I -- The Phantom Menace, Snyder noted, "Its Wednesday, the opening day, was $28.5 million. That was the high water mark for the run. The next best day was $24.4 million on Saturday (of weekend one). In this case, we opened to $30.1 million, went to $25.2 million on Friday and Saturday looks like $32.25 million, so it's actually above the opening day and the opening day, remember, had the Midnight shows (from Wednesday) folded in. So this is really a spectacular performance."
Phantom Menace wound up grossing $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Asked about reports that Clones' Wednesday midnight shows had ticket sales of approximately $6 million, Snyder replied, "Something in that area. It depends on how they got folded into (the total for Thursday), but I think that's a fair estimate."
As for where Clones goes from here, Snyder said, "I'm looking at Episode I as a kind of barometer. It was only off 21 percent on the second weekend because of the (Memorial Day) holiday. So I'm going to hope for that kind of exposure. Certainly, the way the days have gone this is as good as Episode I. If that's an indication, we'll be talking about this all summer long."
Focusing on the health of the overall marketplace, Snyder observed, "It's incredible. Two pictures have $132 million (between them this weekend). Now the amazing part is once you get past Star Wars and Spider-Man, which are their own kind of events, the (other pictures in the Top Ten) had great holds."
Columbia's PG-13 action-adventure sci-fi fantasy Spider-Man descended one peg to second place in its third weekend, showing enviable strength in the face of the Clones' attack.
Spidey took in a remarkable ESTIMATED $46.0 million (-36%) at 3,615 theaters (theater count unchanged; $12,725 per theater). Its cume is approximately $286.5 million, well on its way to $400 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
"Wonderful news on Spider-Man," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning by phone from the Cannes Film Festival. "That's a second week drop of 38 percent and a third week drop of 36 percent against Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones."
Assessing Spidey's latest records, Blake noted, "It's the fastest (film ever to hit) $250 million -- on day 15. Phantom Menace was the previous fastest at 19 days. It's also the fastest to $275 million -- on day 17 -- whereas Phantom took until day 24, a full week later. So the gap is widening. It's the biggest third weekend gross ever. We now have the biggest first weekend, the biggest second weekend and the biggest third weekend.
"The previous biggest (three day) weekend was Titanic's third weekend with $33.3 million for Jan. 2-4, 1998. The (biggest) four day holiday gross was Twister at $38.0 million (for) Memorial Day weekend May 24-27, 1996."
On top of that, he added, "It's Columbia's biggest movie ever now. As of Friday, it overtook Men in Black, which was $250.7 million."
Looking ahead, Blake said, "It should hit $300 million by Friday (May 24), day 22, and then still have most of the Memorial Day weekend to go. We're finally hitting a holiday -- as opposed to the one we've declared for ourselves!" Spider-Man seems likely to come out of Memorial Day weekend with a cume of around $330 million, which would make $400 million domestically a pretty safe bet.
Focusing on Spider-Man's phenomenal strength, Blake observed, "We're running both a sprint and a marathon. We're getting there very quickly, but we're also going a long way. There's been a lot of discussion about (the film's extremely wide release). All 7,500 prints are still on the screen and I would imagine they will be next week, as well. Again, I think we're doing a pretty good job. Certainly, we're wide, but we're long, also."
As for speculation about whether Spider-Man could reach Titanic's record setting domestic cume of $600.7 million, Blake said, "The drops we're seeing are truly incredible given the level of competition. Titanic really is a story unto itself with completely different circumstances. They opened to a good level at Christmas and then held and held through normal play time in January, February and March. We certainly have gotten off to a very fast start in good play time, but with lots of competition ahead. You never know, but you can only take it one week at a time and each week has been sensational including against what figures to be one of our biggest competitors, Star Wars. To drop less this week against Star Wars. than we did last week without Star Wars. kind of says something about Spider-Man."
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' R rated thriller Unfaithful dropped one rung to third place in its second weekend with a still sexy ESTIMATED $10.33 million (-27%) at 2,625 theaters (+11 theaters; $3,933 per theater). Its cume is approximately $29.9 million.
Directed by Adrian Lyne, it stars Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez.
"My jaw dropped (on seeing how well it held up in the face of this weekend's tough competition)," Fox's Bruce Snyder said. "I was hoping we'd get $9 million. This is just terrific. I'm feeling great about its future because it's very adult and it's very different from most things in the market. It looks like it's found its niche. I think it bodes well for the future."
Universal and Studio Canal's PG-13 rated romantic comedy drama About a Boy, from Tribeca and Working Title, opened fourth to a very promising ESTIMATED $8.4 million at 1,207 theaters ($6,960 per theater).
Directed by Paul Weitz &amp; Chris Weitz, it stars Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Toni Collette.
"Given the tremendous competition this weekend, (we're pleased with) the fact that we were able to break through with $8.4 million," Universal senior vice president, national publicity Jeff Sakson said Sunday morning.
"We attracted the audience we wanted to attract, which were older and female. Seventy-two percent of the audience was 30 and older and 69 percent was female. That's who we counter-programmed the movie towards this weekend and that's who showed up. So we accomplished what we set out to do."
Boy will expand to between 1,600 and 1,700 theaters Friday (May 24) for the Memorial Day weekend. "Marc Shmuger (Universal vice chairman) and Nikki Rocco (distribution president) were sort of looking at this weekend as almost like a sneak weekend in advance of the long (holiday) weekend, starting out on fewer screens and just getting our foot in the door, which we did," Sakson noted.
"The per theater average was actually higher than what (Universal and Miramax's hit) Bridget Jones's Diary did last year. They did $6,663 per theater. They did $10.7 million altogether, but they were on 1,600 screens."
Sakson also pointed out that Boy "was incredibly well reviewed. We think the word of mouth will be great. The fact that we got the audience that we thought would love the movie (means) those are now the disciples who can go out and tell their friends about it. We feel good about that. It's a small movie with an all British cast (and it only cost) $27 million."
Columbia's release of Revolution Studios' PG-13 rated low budget comedy The New Guy fell two notches to fifth place in its second week with a solid ESTIMATED $6.5 million (-28%) at 2,687 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,419 per theater). Its cume is approximately $17.3 million.
Directed by Ed Decter, it stars D.J. Qualls.
"Pretty darn good," Sony's Jeff Blake said. "It cost $13 million and seems headed to $30 million or better."
Paramount's R rated road rage drama Changing Lanes fell one slot to sixth place in its sixth week with a quiet ESTIMATED $3.0 million (-21%) at 2,158 theaters (-352 theaters; $1,405 per theater). Its cume is approximately $61.6 million, heading for $65-70 million.
Directed by Roger Michell, it stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson.
Universal's PG-13 rated adventure spinoff The Scorpion King in association with World Wrestling Federation Entertainment and Alphaville fell three pegs to seventh place in its fifth week with a slower ESTIMATED $2.73 million (-44%) at 2,555 theaters (-664 theaters; $1,070 per theater). Its cume is approximately $85.0 million, heading for $95-100 million in domestic theaters.
Buena Vista/Disney's G rated family appeal baseball drama The Rookie fell two slots to eighth place in its eighth week with a calm ESTIMATED $2.0 million (-25%) at 1,849 theaters (-268 theaters; $1,068 per theater). Its cume is approximately $70.85 million.
Directed by John Lee Hancock, it stars Dennis Quaid.
Castle Rock Entertainment's Murder By Numbers slipped two rungs to ninth place in its fifth week via Warner Bros. with a quiet ESTIMATED $1.72 million (-29%) at 1,580 theaters (-536 theaters; $1,085 per theater). Its cume is approximately $30.0 million.
Directed by Barbet Schroeder, it stars Sandra Bullock.
Pounding out the Top Ten was IFC Films' PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which continued to expand in its fifth week with a hopeful ESTIMATED $1.2 million (-5%) at 274 theaters (+27 theaters; $4,380 per theater). Its cume is approximately $5.7 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend saw the arrival of no other major releases.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
This weekend saw DreamWorks hold sneak previews Sunday afternoon of its G rated animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, opening wide Friday (May 24). No details were available Sunday morning. The studio held Spirit sneaks a week earlier on Saturday afternoon.
Directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, it was produced by Mireille Soria and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend there was no activity to report.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $171.42 million, up about 78.24 percent from last year when they totaled $96.17 million.
Key films this weekend were up about 42.06 percent from the previous weekend of this year's total of $120.66 million.
Last year, DreamWorks' opening week of Shrek was first with $42.35 million for five days at 3,587 theaters ($11,806 per theater); and Universal's third week of The Mummy Returns was second with $20.44 million at 3,452 theaters ($5,920 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $62.7 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $132.2 million.